This application generally relates to the automatic generation of photo albums. In one particular application, image data sets are created by identifying similar images associated with peak moments of an event. It is to be appreciated, however, that the present exemplary embodiment is also amenable to other like applications.
The number of photographs taken during a special event such as a holiday, a birthday, an anniversary, etc. is generally very large as attendees can capture multiple images (e.g., via a digital camera) during significant moments. To obtain a coherent collection, each attendee's images can be merged into a single compilation. As a finite number of moments occur per event, the number of similar images increases when utilizing images captured by multiple attendees.
Accordingly, one goal of such a compilation is to obtain an overall representation of the event with images that are as non-repetitive as possible. Conventional systems and methods focus on automatic layout or information retrieval in events such as face detection and classification. In some instances, the selection algorithms are limited only to evaluation detection of participants utilizing discriminatory algorithms. None of these systems and methods, however, facilitates accurate automatic selection of one or more images for compilation.
Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods to organize and automatically select images related to a common event based on a wide range of factors.